1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a container for carbonated drink provided with a chamber containing the drink, a drink dispensing opening for dispensing drink from the chamber, a pressure medium chamber that is in fluid communication with the chamber for supplying pressure medium to the chamber, which pressure medium chamber has an outlet that is closed off by a delivery valve for delivering pressure medium and a pressure regulating element connected to the delivery valve for operating the delivery valve.
The invention also relates to a pressure regulating element and a method for filling a container with carbonated drink.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to supply pressure medium, such as CO2, to containers, such as metal containers containing whipped cream or cans of beer, by means of a CO2 cartridge containing CO2 under high pressure, such as 50 bar and higher. The volume of the CO2 cartridge is relatively small and a large proportion of the CO2 will escape on connecting if the connection is not made quickly and in a sealed manner. The seals for the high-pressure CO2 cartridges and the pressure regulation thereof is relatively complex. Furthermore, with the known devices there is no facility for the user to set a regulating pressure.
A beer keg in which a pressure medium chamber is formed by a cavity in the keg is also disclosed in Gebrauchsmusterschrift DE 201 15 158 U1. A separate dispensing head that contains a pressure regulator can be connected by the user to a beer dispensing valve and to a CO2 delivery valve. When the dispensing head is connected the pressure medium chamber is connected to the beer chamber in the keg. The pressure regulating element is not indicated in more detail.
Furthermore, a container for beer in which the beer is packed in a flexible bag, which bag is accommodated in a rigid plastic container, is disclosed in NL-A 1019054 in the name of the Applicant. The container is placed in a dispenser which is provided with a compressor that is connected to the container to build up pressure in the space between the flexible bag and the rigid outer container. The use of a compressor in the dispenser makes this relatively complex, while the compressor can give rise to vibration and an increased noise level.